University of Gdańsk

ABSTRACT Baltic amber is the best known of all the inclusion-bearing ambers and is often washed up on the shores around the Baltic Sea. The Upper Blue Earth Member of the Prussian Formation is the main source of this amber, although it also occurs in beds above and below. The age of Baltic amber has been a subject of controversy for many years, but it is important to know what its most likely age is when studying the evolution of different animal and plant groups trapped in the amber, particularly taxa used in phylogenetic trees. A review of the different dating techniques confirms that dinoflagellate cyst biostratigraphy is the best method for dating the amber-bearing beds. Here we correlate the published dinocyst species records with the zonation schemes in the Geologic Time Scale 2020 to provide more accurate and up-to-date dating of these beds. The Prussian Formation is late Eocene (Priabonian) in age, 37.7–34 million years old, and the Upper Blue Earth Member is mid-Priabonian, 36–35 million years old. Amber from the Upper Blue Earth is considered to be the same age and, given that it is concentrated towards the base of the member, an age of 36 Ma can be used in phylogenetic trees. Baltic amber of unknown provenance is probably Priabonian in age.

Aleksandar Vučo’s text “Ljuskari na prsima” (“Crustaceans on the Chest”) was published in the surrealist almanac “Nemoguće” (“The Impossible,” 1930) accompanied by thirteen unsigned black-and-white drawings, whose authorship was attributed to Marko Ristić by Miodrag B. Protić. This article discusses the differing contemporary interpretations of Vučo’s work in the studies of Milanka Todić, Radovan Vučković, and Božidar Zečević. Scholars who have written about this surrealist screenplay emphasize the “absence of a logical narrative flow,” “alogical structure and discontinuity,” and the “imitation of a dream.” The study considers the nature of the dream in the screenplay, the moment at which the dream begins and ends, and the interrelationship between the dream in Vučo’s text and Ristić’s drawing-collages. Vučo’s reflections on dreams from the questionnaire “The Jaws of Dialectics” published in the “Nemoguće” almanac, as well as oneiric fragments from his novel “The Root of Vision” (1928), are cited to emphasize the importance of dreams in the author’s earlier works. The analysis closely follows the images, characters, and motifs of “Ljuskari na prsima” and their transformations, seeking interpretive grounding in psychoanalysis, the poetics of surrealist dream imitation, and the use of defamiliarization (“ostranie”) and the grotesque.

Wind waves are inherently irregular and random, making the goal of finding a fully deterministic description practically impossible. However, knowing their probabilistic properties is crucial for engineering applications and for understanding ocean dynamics. To deepen this understanding and build more efficient wind-wave models, machine-learning approaches are likely to become increasingly valuable. Recent progress in physics-informed machine learning (PIML) has transformed fluid mechanics by combining data-driven approaches with physical fundamental equations, enabling more robust and generalizable models.In our study, we apply PIML techniques to identify probabilistic characteristics of wind waves. Our research is based on learning probability distributions directly from data, which allows us to avoid restrictive assumptions or classical approximations.We utilize field measurements collected in Skulte, Latvia, during August–September 2022. The dataset includes pressure time series and 3D velocity profiles, providing a detailed description of wave dynamics. Building upon existing PIML architectures, we developed a framework capable of inferring an accurate and efficient probabilistic model of wind waves. Preliminary results show promising agreement with theoretical expectations and previous studies.The dataset was provided by Kevin Parnell and colleagues from Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), together with the Latvian Institute of Aquatic Ecology. Our findings highlight the potential of PIML for improving probabilistic wave modelling and set the foundation for future applications in coastal engineering and environmental monitoring.

Two generations of palaeolakes (Lipowo I, Lipowo II), associated with the termination of the Last Glacial, were documented in the Suwałki Lake District, northeastern Poland. Multiproxy analyses and radiocarbon (14C) and OSL dating were performed on lacustrine sediments. The older generation of basins developed among gradually melting dead-ice blocks and was eventually buried under mineral deposits at the end of the Allerød. The younger generation formed after the complete melting of dead-ice blocks and reflects environmental changes from the late Allerød to the Holocene. Observed changes in sedimentation style during the Late Glacial and early Holocene were linked to significant climatic shifts and their consequences. These changes were also recorded in palynological analyses, fossil Cladocera, geochemical data, and stable isotope results.The vegetation composition during the Younger Dryas shows distinct regional features, including the strong development of Juniperus shrubs and herbaceous and grassy plants at the beginning of this stage, as well as the appearance of Picea abies in its later part. Northeastern Poland was more similar to northeastern Europe than to the rest of the Polish Lowlands, reflecting the paleoclimatic gradient that occurred in Poland during the Younger Dryas. The Holocene section of the Lipowo II profile also documents the first cold Holocene event at 11.4 ka.Cladocera analysis for the studied lakes revealed remains of only 10 species in Lake “Lipowo I,” belonging to three families: Chydoridae, Bosminidae, and Daphniidae, with most remains attributed to Chydoridae. These species were mainly cold-water tolerant, and their frequency was low (max. 2200 ind./cm³). In Lipowo II, 25 Cladocera species were identified, representing various ecological zones, including open-water taxa requiring higher water temperatures. The number of individuals increased to a maximum of 6000 ind./cm³, indicating more favorable conditions for Cladocera development. Environmental changes recorded in vegetation and zooplankton are further supported by stable isotope analyses. Total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) increased from approximately 2% to 53% and from 0% to 3.8%, respectively. Multiproxy analyses enabled the reconstruction of significant environmental changes associated with the transition from glacial to interglacial conditions in northeastern Poland.

Dry eye disease (DED) is a prevalent and increasingly recognized disorder of the ocular surface that poses a significant clinical and public health challenge worldwide. Its complex and heterogeneous nature reflects the interplay of tear film instability, inflammation, epithelial dysfunction, and neurosensory abnormalities. The evolving understanding of DED pathophysiology has led to substantial changes in diagnostic criteria and therapeutic paradigms, shifting from purely symptomatic management toward mechanism-based and individualized approaches. Ongoing advances in molecular biology, immunology, and biomedical technology continue to reshape the therapeutic landscape of DED. In light of the growing clinical burden and the evolving understanding of DED as a complex, multifactorial disorder of the ocular surface characterized by loss of tear film homeostasis, hyperosmolarity, inflammation, and neurosensory abnormalities—as defined by the Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society in the TFOS DEWS III report—the purpose of this study was to comprehensively review the current evidence regarding DED pathophysiology, risk factors, classification, diagnostic algorithms, and contemporary therapeutic strategies, with particular emphasis on mechanism-based and emerging treatments.

Negative consequences of digital consumer media exposure (DCME) have attracted global attention, yet few studies have examined how it relates to adolescents’ meaning in life (AML) – a concept essential for healthy functioning and development. We propose, test, and largely support a novel dual mediation model linking DCME to AML through world assumptions (i.e., (1) self-worthiness with two beliefs in self-worth and luck, (2) world’s benevolence, and (3) meaningfulness with two beliefs in randomness and controllability), and materialism. Polish adolescents aged 15 to 19 (N = 679) filled in the World Assumptions Scale, the Aspiration Index, and answered questions about DCME (i.e., exposure to online advertising and e-commerce platforms) and AML. As predicted, the higher DCME, the higher self-worthiness (i.e., belief in personal luck) and world’s benevolence, and the increase in the latter two is associated with higher AML. However, contrary to expectations, the mediation effect of DCME on AML through self-worthiness (i.e., belief in self-worth) showed that as DCME increases, self-worthiness decreases. Also, unexpectedly, while controllability was not a significant mediator in DCME-AML relationship, randomness mediated DCME-AML. Simultaneously, the higher DCME, the higher the materialism, and the higher the materialism, the lower AML. These results suggest that while DCME may foster beliefs that individuals are fortunate and that the world is benevolent – supporting AML – it may simultaneously undermine self-worth and promote materialism, which can reduce a sense of meaning. The findings can usefully inform methods of helping youth build psychological immunity and use digital media to their advantage rather than disadvantage.

manifestations of lupus with or without systemic disease.This approach has the potential to transform the lupus treatment paradigm for cutaneous manifestations of the disease, whilst also addressing underlying lupus pathophysiology upstream of IFN.